Wednesday, January 02, 2008 Probe ordered on US troops' closure of Sulu hospital
A top official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Mindanao has ordered an investigation into the alleged meddling of American forces stationed in Sulu on the operation of a hospital in the town of Panamao.
Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer Major Eugenio Batara Jr. said the order was given by Westmincom chief Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga to the Sulu-based Joint Task Force Comet chief Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael.
Batara said Allaga has tasked Rafael, the overall military chief in the province of Sulu, to spearhead the investigation.
"The directive to investigate is to determine the truthfulness of the allegations and the result of the investigation shall serve as the basis in recommending the appropriate punishment meted out to the guilty party or mediate in the differences or misunderstanding between the parties involved if any," Batara said.
American soldiers in Panamao town have been allegedly preventing health workers from operating the district hospital during nighttime, according to Silak Lakkian, Panamao district hospital chief.
She said the US soldiers, led by a Master Sergeant Ron Berg, allegedly started implementing the order on November 30.
Lakkian said a team of soldiers barged into the hospital and told the chief nurse to close it not later than 6 p.m.
The hospital, which stands between the camp of the Philippine Marines and the airfield, is serving the residents not only of Panamao town but also of nearby municipalities.
Allaga, according to Batara, said the reported meddling of US forces in the operation of the hospital in Panamao had an adverse impact on the ongoing joint humanitarian efforts of US forces and Philippine military in Sulu.
Aside from the joint humanitarian efforts, the US troops also train and assist Filipino troops in the fight against the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits.
Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) public affairs officer Lt. Commander Melissa Schuermann clarified that "all these information were all allegations and are not true unless proven otherwise."
Schuermann said the Westmincom and the JSOTF-P have exerted coordinative efforts to address the reported incident.
As an initial action, a meeting regarding the incident had been conducted between Rafael, Governor Sakur Tan, staff of the Panamao District Hospital, and the JSOTF-P last Sunday at the Sulu Provincial Capitol, added Batara.
